Road Trip from California to New York (Days 9, 10, and 11)

I can finally share a report about the last 3 days of our trip. I interrupted the updates due to different reasons, one of them was because we were having problems with our Internet connection. But let’s start with day 9: Chicago.

We love going to Chicago because that is the place where Bill was born. What a beautiful city Chicago is! Bill’s Mom, whose name is Joan, and also Bill’s sister, her name is Marguerite, and her husband Shelby, live there. My closest friend, Acela, also lives there, so we always feel like at home in Chicago. Bill and Diego stayed with grandma Joan and Natalie and I stayed with Marguerite and Shelby, but at night we all got got together for dinner. Below you can see the lobby in grandma Joan’s building. The boy is our Diego.

Grandma Joan lives in a beautiful apartment with a spectacular view overlooking lake Michigan. Her place is always comfy so relaxing. On then right you see an artwork that I gave to her many years ago.

Here is a closeup:

What an experience looking through grandma Joan’s windows!

The image below is what you see. So beautiful! In another note, I must officially say that grandma Joan makes the best brownies in the world. She made a special batch for us, which disappeared in a few minutes. Thanks, grandma!

Aunt Marguerite also lives in a beautiful place, surrounded by big trees.

Her house is like a museum where you can find objects from all kinds of places around the world. I love discovering new objects every time I visit her place.

This beautiful old painting is a new addition and it is even more beautiful in person.

This is a magic area with the most beautiful light in the morning. Perfect for drinking tea and having a conversation, which is what Marguerite and I did. I also had the chance to spend time with my cuban friend Acela. She works at a wonderful place that sells vintage and antique objects. Seeing Acela was very special as always, she is like a sister to me.

On day 10 we left Chicago very early and headed to Ohio where we stayed with Bill’s cousin and his wife. It was our first time staying with them and it was wonderful. They are one of the most special people that I have ever met, so down-to-Earth and friendly. He is a Doctor and she is a Nurse. Below is a picture of their neighborhood. It was so beautiful and quiet.

Here is their backyard where the kids had so much fun playing with their dog Ellie. What a sweet doggy! Diego fell in love with Ellie, who kept following him wherever he went.

On day 11 we left Ohio early as well, and headed to Pensilvania. Pensilvania was extremely inspiring. Below you will see pictures of the magical place where we stayed.

Here is where our friend Morgan Puett lives and works. Morgan went to school with Bill when they were young in Chicago. She is an extraordinary and prestigious artist living an extraordinary life. Several years ago she created Mildred’s Lane, a “contemporary art complex(ity)”, as she calls it. Morgan’s story deserves a whole separate post that I will write in the future. We will be visiting her place very often since we’re only 2 hours away. Here is an interesting article that The New York Times wrote about her in 2008.

Being in Morgan’s place was an amazing experience. I was there once before, in 2001, when she was starting to create the project that is today so strong and mature. She is such a force of nature. Morgan’s philosophy is that art and life should be in sync, and that’s how she lives and creates. Everything that she does, from cooking and raising her son to sewing her own clothes, to putting together big museum shows, are part of her unique creative expression.

Morgan has a large base of followers around the world. It is impossible not to feel inspired by her.

I hope that you can make it to her place one day. During the Summer, there are lots of events over there.

This place was slowly and carefully built by hand using materials from the area. But some of the smaller buildings are very old.

There are several smaller buildings around the main house where artists come to spend time and get involved in workshops, lectures, etc.

Inside the main house is like a cabinet of curiosities. You find the most curious objects.

The style of the place is rustic and beautiful with so many textures and materials to enjoy. It feels like the going back in time.

I almost didn’t want to live Morgan’s place, but then I remembered that after only 2 hours driving our car, we were going to arrive in our new house, the place where we will live for the next 6 months. But I will tell you all about it on Monday. I am seriously in love with this place.

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3 Comments

Joan Chandler
on September 5, 2014 at 9:13 am

Oh Elsa, you’ve done it again! Only you could make my living room look so elegant. And, that photo of Diego in the lobby is priceless. Your photos of your cross country journey should definitely be in a book. I hope you will do this soon.